Tag: camping

You don’t have to be a skilled survivalist to survive mother nature’s tropical fury. And you don’t have to be a stay-at-home mom with a Suburban to pile mountains of water bottles into either.

Line for water at the Aldi near my house

This is the water aisle of Publix this week

If you’ve ever been camping, then there is a good chance you already own the gear and skills you need to ride out the storm.

Problem: NO WATERSolution: If you have a back country first aid kit, there is a good chance it includes iodine tablets. Water purification iodine tablets are used to kill dangerous bacteria in water. Experienced backpackers use them on trails to kill nastiness in river, stream and lake water. The casual camper may not realize they often come in those ready-to-go first aid kits.

If you are an experienced backpacker, then there is a good chance you may also own a water filtration system like a Lifestraw. You can also fill any portable bladders like a Camelbak with fresh water before the storm hits.

Problem: NO POWERSolution: Most modern camping enthusiasts own at least one solar powered charging option, but don’t worry if you don’t, this just means you will have to spend your post-hurricane days living off the grid. Isn’t that part of what makes camping fun?

Problem: I’M HUNGRY AND I DIDN’T STOCK UPSolution: The food in your fridge will start to go bad if the power stays out for any length of time. If you didn’t make it to the grocery store before the hoards of people took all of the dry goods off the shelves, then take a peak at your camping supplies.
– Camp stove: Almost everyone buys one of these before their first camping trip and probably has an extra can or two of fuel to go with it. WARNING: Do not cook with a propane or butane stove indoors!
– Can opener: Remember the old fashioned kind you twist around the top of a can? You probably have one of these from the last time you ate Campbell’s soup on a camping trip.
– Matches/Lighter/Firestarter: If you aren’t a regular camper you may have to dig for this one, but most first aid kits do include matches, so check there first.
– Fishing gear: If worst comes to worst, you can pull out the bait & tackle box and try to catch some bass or catfish from a neighborhood lake or pond (or your living room, God forbid). You won’t go hungry!
– MREs: Experienced backpackers can probably dig in their pack and find an unopened Mountain House meal, but even if you are inexperienced it is possible you grabbed some MREs while grabbing stuff from Bass Pro Shop before your first big adventure. They don’t taste the best, but hey, if you’re hungry?

Other useful items you may find in your camping gear:
– Tent: can be used as a tarp to block rain if necessary. It can also serve as shelter.
– Bug spray: You are going to need this post-hurricane. No question.
– Raft: If you have a fancy emergency kit it may even include an emergency raft.
– Hatchet and/or machete: If you don’t own a chainsaw or don’t have fuel for a chainsaw, this could become a critical tool if you get trapped.

Where to buy: Almost all of these items are available on Amazon, most outfitters, and many Walmart stores (depending on the season and where you live).

Of course, the best thing to do if you find yourself in the path of a hurricane is evacuate. Take shelter in a safe, dry location. My tips do not take into account risks like storm surge and massive amounts of flooding like people saw after Hurricane Harvey or Katrina.

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The hardest part of backpacking with an 8-month-old is getting him to stop eating dirt!

I dreamt of taking Konnor backpacking since the day he was born, but life kept getting in the way. Last week we finally had the opportunity to live with him in the woods for a few days. It was a fantastic experience. I carried the baby while my husband carried most of our gear. Both of our packs ended up heavier than we anticipated, but we ended up using almost everything we brought with us.

Day 1: The first part of our trip included an 6.5 hour drive to F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, GA. We chose this location because of the variety of trail options. We could hike as little or as much as we wanted to on any given day. We knew we wanted to keep our days short since our Florida legs haven’t hiked in the hills in over a year and we also had never backpacked with our baby. We opted for the Big Poplar Loop on the Pine Mountain Trail. The Park does require hikers to register their campsites. We arrived late the first night, about 6:00pm, which meant we only had a couple of hours to hike to camp and get set up before dark. The Park ranger recommended we stay in the Turtle Bluff campsite the first night since it was less than 2 miles from the trailhead.

The trail itself is gorgeous. It’s nicely shaded and an easy hike with just a few hairy places. I’ll admit to getting nervous in the short sections of trail where there is a rock wall to the right and a rocky drop-off to the left with a narrow trail in the middle. Konnor likes to “dance” in his carrier, which makes my load uneven and my steps unsteady.

Day two was our biggest day of hiking. We hiked about 5.5 miles from Turtle Bluff to the Whiskey Still campsite. Whiskey Still is by far my favorite of the two sites. It is big (enough room for 3 tents), shaded, has a gorgeous stone firepit, and very private (we never saw or heard another soul while camping in this spot.) There is also a freshwater spring only 1/4 mile away. The water there was much tastier than the stream water we filtered at the Turtle Bluff site. Turtle Bluff is also less private. We, unfortunately, had a Boy Scout Troop as neighbors. They were respectful, but we could still see and hear them from Turtle Bluff.

Day three consisted of finishing the Poplar Loop and getting on the road again to part 2 of our adventure. The final part of the Poplar Loop is beautiful. The trail slopes up and down, across a beautiful stream that features a small waterfall. I spotted wildflowers and butterflies on my hike back to the car. It was the perfect ending to the “adventure” stage of our vacation.

What about the baby?
Konnor did great! I’m glad I never listened to all of the people who told me while I was pregnant, “Just you wait. Life will never be the same. You won’t be able to do that stuff once the baby arrives.” Lies! All lies! You can do anything with a baby that you can do without a baby, it just takes more work and becomes a different type of experience. For one, we had to carry more gear. In addition to our basic tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, food, cooking gear and clothing; we had to carry diapers, bottles, formula, baby clothes, bibs, and a baby first aid kit (because I would hate for something to happen to him and not be prepared.) The extra gear added extra strain on our bodies. Secondly, the danger factor becomes more severe. Before baby, if I got lost or fell it would’ve sucked but it probably wouldn’t have been the end of the world. I was incredibly nervous about slipping on the rocks or mud while carrying Konnor on my back. However, the biggest, and most important, thing that changed this trip is that baby takes a lot of the relaxation out of the vacation. Before baby, I’d look forward to arriving in camp and resting for a few minutes. Afterall, hiking the hills is hard work. I’d enjoy waking up in the morning and listening to the birds chirp while sipping tea. Instead, those moments are replaced with feedings, bottle cleanings, breast pumping and fussy time. This is no different than life at home. I really don’t know what I expected.

Konnor in his pajamas

At the end of the trip

This is how he napped during the day

Getting out of bed in the morning

Overall, the trip was successful. We had a lot of fun and grew stronger as a family. I fell in love with small moments, like when Konnor would reach his hand out to my shoulder. My heart melted each time I felt those little fingers touching my back on the trail. I love his fascination with everything in nature, the way he cooed and squealed when I pointed out different types of plants, colors and shapes along the trail; the way he stared at his daddy when we could hike side-by-side. He’s an amazing little boy and I can’t help but believe we are already instilling in him a love of nature.

I’m going to get into specifics of our gear and our hikes later on in another post, but this is a start. Stay tuned for more.